Rewe builds state-of-the-art fulfilment center for online food retailing

Being a pioneer in fresh food delivery, Rewe is driving forward the expansion of the Rewe delivery service. In Cologne, Rewe digital is currently pushing ahead with the construction of a Food Fulfilment Center (FFC), thus far unique in Germany. In the Food Fulfilment Center 2.0, customers' orders are picked and made available for delivery. Eventually over 20,000 different products will be stored according to their respective cooling requirements and will then be ready for picking. In conjunction with renowned partners completely new processes were developed, tailored to the special requirements of food online retailing. State-of-the-art intralogistics technologies and innovative automation solutions have been combined with Rewe's many years of experience in online food retailing.

In the field of online food retailing, Rewe Lieferservice is the market leader in Germany. "The new FFC 2.0 integrates state-of-the-art shuttle and picking technologies from Knapp AG, the market leader in this field, which have been further developed and ensure a high level of efficiency. In addition, they lighten the work load of our employees," said Christoph Eltze, CEO of Rewe digital. "Previously, employees had to walk 12 to 15 kilometers per shift to pick orders. In the new FFC 2.0 it's the other way round. Now, products come to the order picker simply and conveniently via automated shuttle technology, all the while taking into account the different cooling specifications and are compliant with the exceptional Rewe quality standards.”

The construction of the Food Fulfilment Center 2.0 with a base area of 2.5 football fields is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Total construction time is set to be one year. The gross volume corresponds to around 250 single-family homes. It will offer space for state-of-the-art storage and picking technology as well as sufficient room for office and social areas. In the first quarter of 2018 all the equipment, in particular the installations of the intralogistics, will arrive. The necessary training of the employees will also take place around that time. By summer, all essential tests will be completed and the warehouse will be ready for deliveries in the area around Cologne. After that, this area will be expanded further.

"Fresh food is a matter of trust for our customers. Freshness and quality are crucial for Rewe customers, both online and offline. With online ordering in particular, it is also about service and attractive offers, suitable delivery time frames and efficiency. With the new Food Fulfilment Center 2.0 we are taking an important step as the first movers in Germany. This way we are making sure we can continue to offer our customers an attractive online shopping experience in the future," said Jan Kunath, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of the Rewe Group.

Source: Rewe Group